Podcast Summary: "So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast"

Episode 255: Authoritarians in the Academy
Host: Nico Perrino (FIRE)
Guest: Sarah McLaughlin, FIRE Senior Scholar for Global Expression and author of Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech
Original Air Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into Sarah McLaughlin’s new book exploring how global political influences—especially from authoritarian regimes like China—and the internationalization of higher education are undermining free speech on American campuses. The discussion covers direct and indirect censorship, the impact on international students, and the ethical contradictions faced by U.S. universities operating abroad. The conversation also reflects on recent American governmental responses and the broader historical context of censorship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of the Book & Author’s Experience

• Background: Sarah has been at FIRE for over a decade, initially focusing on campus expression for both students and professors. Over time, she noticed new censorship threats unrelated to traditional U.S. culture war issues but stemming instead from foreign government influence—particularly China.

  "What I was noticing...was that there were actually some other political issues...specifically the Chinese government's issues, and how it was affecting what professors could teach and what students could say." (03:00)

2. Transnational Censorship: China’s Influence

• Mechanisms of Censorship:

  • Direct threats and surveillance of Chinese international students, even after leaving China.
  • Chinese consulates pressuring universities (e.g., complaints about inviting the Dalai Lama).
  • Confucius Institutes as vehicles for influence/funding with conditions that threaten academic freedom.
  • American admins sometimes comply, either willingly or out of fear.

  "You get here and turns out...the Chinese government hasn't really left them. And so they get here and turns out they're still being surveilled, they're still being watched." (03:38–04:30)

• Chilling Impact on Students:

  • Students face intimidation back home; families harassed or threatened if students speak out in the U.S.
  • Censorship back home extends its reach, leveraging fear for family safety as a deterrent.

  "I spoke directly with students whose families were visited by police...if you don't stop, there's going to be trouble." (04:32)

• Notable Statistic:
  At their peak, roughly 300,000 Chinese international students studied in the U.S. (06:00)

3. Case Study: George Washington University Poster Controversy

• Event: (10:00–15:58)

  • Anonymous, anti-Chinese-government posters appeared on campus in 2022, highlighting human rights abuses.
  • Chinese student groups demanded university intervention.
  • GW’s president initially complied, saying he was "personally offended" and ordered poster removal and an investigation to unmask the authors.
  • FIRE and others intervened; the president reversed, citing a mistake.

  "We now have an American university...saying we're going to have our campus security unmask critics of the Chinese government." (14:34)

• Deeper Themes:

  • University deference to claims of offense, regardless of speaker context.
  • Danger to international students if identities are exposed—potential for prosecution or retaliation upon return home.

  "If you open an investigation...you are creating a very real risk that when they return home, they're going to go to prison for this." (15:02)

4. Classroom Anxieties in the Digital Age and During COVID

• Impact of Online Learning: (18:23–21:52)
  • Online classes via Zoom amplified international students' fear of surveillance and repercussions.
  • Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law extends risks globally.
  • Faculty sometimes adapted by allowing anonymous participation; less so from administrators.

5. “Sensitivity Exploitation” and Conflating Government Critique With Racism

• Trend: (21:52–25:15)
  • U.S. universities and some student groups increasingly frame critique of foreign governments (notably China) as hate or racism.
  • Used to silence speakers—e.g., labeling inviting Uyghur speakers as violations of “hate speech policy.”

  "It's using these notions of hate and hurt and harm to say, okay, well that's what I feel when you say these things about the Chinese government." (24:04)

6. Satellite Campuses Abroad and The Reality of “Free Speech”

• Qatar Example: (26:09–30:25)
  • U.S. universities (Georgetown, Northwestern) claim to bring academic freedom but comply with local censorship laws (e.g., blasphemy laws).
  • Universities often aren't transparent about actual rights/laws on these campuses.
  • Cancellations of events (on LGBTQ issues, religious debate) often masked with “security concerns.”

  "They have been very clear...we are creating little pockets of freedom abroad...The evidence is clear they have not stood by those values when challenged." (26:09) "Georgetown then admitted Georgetown has free expression in Qatar as long as it's in accordance with Qatari law. And that to me is a pretty big asterisk." (27:44)

7. New Front: U.S. Government Actions Suppressing Dissent

• Recent Developments: (31:05–33:20)

  • Authorities using ideological criteria ("anti-American ideologies") to detain/deport international students.
  • Students now censor themselves not only for fear of foreign governments, but for fear of the American government.
  • FIRE involved in lawsuits defending such students (e.g., Stanford Daily case).

  "You have international students who are not self-censoring because of what their home country might be seeing them do, but they're self-censoring because of fear of the American government." (32:19)

• Loss of American Ideal:
  Sarah laments America’s willingness to abandon its promise as a refuge for free expression, noting the special loss of opportunity for international students.

  "I think there's something so beautiful...that someone can come here and take a deep breath and say, wow, for the first time, I can say what I think." (33:51)

8. Reflections & Lessons

• Contrast in Bravery:
  Sarah notes the courage of international students who risk so much to speak out, compared to affluent Americans in power who shrink from defending rights for personal convenience.

  "The students I was speaking to have really put everything on the line...should be a little of a shameful lesson for some." (36:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Chinese government intimidation:

  "They're used against them to try to punish them. Like something bad might happen to your mom if you don't shut up." (04:09, Sarah McLaughlin)

• On university complicity:

  "I do want to investigate a little bit why that was his first response [at GW]—why he didn't think to say GW has free speech commitments... But that's not what he did." (14:53, Sarah McLaughlin)

• On U.S. satellite campuses:

  "Yes, our values, our principles. And then when you say, okay, well, what about the blasphemy law? Well, that's very complicated." (30:28–31:05, Sarah McLaughlin)

• On self-censorship and its tragic cost:

  "The idea that we are just willing to torch that I think is tragic... because I think we lose things too when we silence students." (33:53, Sarah McLaughlin)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:00–06:47] – Global censorship’s roots on U.S. campuses, focus on China
• [08:35–09:57] – Confucius Institutes as a vehicle for influence
• [10:47–15:58] – George Washington University poster controversy
• [18:23–21:52] – How COVID and remote learning increased surveillance concerns
• [21:52–25:15] – “Sensitivity exploitation” and conflation of critique with racism
• [26:09–31:05] – Satellite campuses (Qatar) and the myth of transplanted academic freedom
• [31:05–33:20] – Repressive U.S. government responses to campus protesters
• [35:36–36:47] – Contrasting courage in advocacy: international students vs. U.S. powerholders

Recommendations & Final Thoughts

• Book Recommendation:
  John Brown, Abolitionist by David Reynolds (36:59)
• Hero/Inspirational Figure:
  Frederick Douglass (38:11)
• Memorable Reflection:
  Drawing inspiration (and warning) from abolitionist-era American censorship, with lessons for today’s struggles over campus speech and authoritarian influence.

Summary Takeaway

This wide-ranging and thoughtful episode shines a light on how authoritarian regimes extend their censorship regime beyond borders, enmeshing U.S. campuses in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. It also underscores the fragile reality for international students—caught between government pressures both at home and now in the U.S.—and calls into question the honesty and integrity of U.S. universities as they negotiate financial and reputational incentives abroad. The discussion is passionate, data-driven, and laced with real-world anecdotes, offering a sobering but vital look at academic freedom in a globalized world.